Tag Archive | Guarding the Heart

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. 15 Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. 19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

This passage gives us several methods of avoiding the wicked path. We are to avoid it at all costs. We aren’t to go up to the edge and peer over. Nor are we to walk along just slightly off the beaten path. Nor are we to take “shortcuts” utilizing the path of the wicked along our walk.

Avoiding the Path of the Wicked

Do not enter the path of the wicked – Proverbs 4:14

Do not walk in the way of evil – Proverbs 4:14

Avoid it – Proverbs 4:15

Do not go on it – Proverbs 4:15

Turn away from it – Proverbs 4:15

Pass on – Proverbs 4:15

Deep darkness – Proverbs 4:19

Do not know over what they stumble – Proverbs 4:19

Notice how similar Proverbs 4:14-19 is to Psalms 1:1 and Proverbs 1:15-16?

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Proverbs 1:15-16 (ESV)

15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.

The Lord takes seriously our sinful human tendency to be persuaded to evil by those we associate with. That is why we have the Bible full of warnings like this to avoid the path of the wicked. We also need to not become complacent in thinking that we aren’t hanging around with wicked people so this doesn’t affect us. Some companions that many forget about are the companions on TV, in the music industry (both secular and “Christian”), computers, the characters in books, and the characters in movies. These companions have much more influence than many realize. Often it amazes me how children are allowed to watch and read about circumstances that no one would allow them to participate in real life.

“The sins of others leave some kind of stain upon the conscience. I question whether you can read a newspaper and scan the story of a murder or a robbery, or survey with more distant glance in any book of history the sin of your fellow men, without being in a degree injured therewith.”

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Charles Spurgeon

As we get closer to Proverbs 4:23 concerning guarding or keeping your heart we see how avoiding the path of the wicked is important to the idea of guarding your heart.

Wisdom is referred to in a feminine sense as something very desirable.

This is what Wisdom will do:

“Keep you” – Proverbs 4:6

“Guard you” – Proverbs 4:6

“Exalt you” – Proverbs 4:8

“Honor you” – Proverbs 4:8

“Place on your head a graceful garland” – Proverbs 4:9

“Bestow on you a beautiful crown.” – Proverbs 4:9

“When you walk, your step will not be hampered” – Proverbs 4:12

“If you run, you will not stumble.” – Proverbs 4:12

“Is your life” – Proverbs 4:13

Now we can do a whole Bible Study on Wisdom but just a summary is I will do right now. In this passage Wisdom is used as an analogy to a female. However, we are later told more about Wisdom. Who is Wisdom?

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (ESV)30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Wisdom is Christ. Let’s read each of the above and see that Christ does all that the passage in Proverbs says Wisdom will do.

27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Notice something missing? The word “guard” is not there. As far as I can find the NIV is the only version that uses guard. The other translations use the word “keep“.

So what might Proverbs 4:23 mean by “keep” or “guard your heart“?

Look back at Proverbs 4:1 “Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight,“. The chapter begins with a Father speaking to his son. Proverbs 4 verses 10 and 20 reference “My son“. Proverbs chapter 5 also begins in a similar manner “My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding,”. So obviously this verse is not directed specifically to young ladies as many might imply. Nevertheless the general principles of the verse does apply to all believers. But it isn’t particularly in reference to guarding your heart in relationships, unless you are speaking of your relationship with Lady Wisdom (Proverbs 4:5-10).

A lot of that may depend on your age. When I was young (a long, long time ago), I don’t think I ever heard that expression. But often today you will hear that phrase tossed around usually directed toward our youth and especially toward our young ladies. Most often in the ideology of “guarding your heart” during relationships in dating.

Where does that phrase originate?

Proverbs 4:23 has the expression “guard your heart“. Now probably all of us have read that verse many times especially since Proverbs is a book of the Bible that is easy to read and is full of essentially sound bites of information. Sound bites is about all of the Bible, or even any reading, many today do. But unless you are younger, a part of homeschooling or a part of the “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” generation you may not have thought much about that phrase beyond the level of any other verse.

What might surprise you is this verse is one of many verses in the Bible that are often taken out of context and given meaning beyond what was intended in the Bible and by the Lord.

Take some time reading Proverbs 4:23 and we’ll look closer at it later. You might be surprised. 😉

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The most important fact necessary before reading this website is to examine yourself to see if you are a Christian. If you are not a Christian, much of this would be ‘Foolishness’ to you.
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1 Cor 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
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If you are not a Christian then I recommend reading the following:

What is a Berean?

Acts 17:11
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." NIV

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